Customer reviews can be one of the strongest forms of reassurance available to a local business.
Before somebody calls, emails or visits, they may already be looking at what previous customers have said about you. Reviews help potential customers understand the experience other people have had and give them another reason to feel confident about making contact.
At thebestof Eastbourne, we help local businesses make better use of their customer feedback by giving them practical ways to collect reviews and bring their reputation together in one place.
Reviews are an important part of modern word of mouth.
They can help potential customers:
They can also give you useful feedback about the experience you are providing.
One of the biggest barriers to collecting reviews is simply remembering to ask.
Making the process straightforward helps.
Members of thebestof Eastbourne can use practical review tools including direct review links and QR codes, giving customers an easy route to leave their feedback.
That means you can build asking for reviews naturally into the customer journey rather than relying on occasional review campaigns.
Your customer feedback may already exist in several different places.
Depending on the platforms you use, reviews from sources including Google, Facebook, Trustpilot and TripAdvisor can be displayed alongside feedback collected through thebestof.
This gives potential customers a broader picture of your reputation without expecting them to search across several different websites themselves.
Collecting reviews is only part of the job.
Good customer feedback becomes much more useful when prospective customers actually see it.
Reviews can appear on your thebestof business feature, and our review tools can also help you display your reputation through your own website.
That allows the experiences of existing customers to provide reassurance while somebody is deciding whether to contact you.
Want to display your reviews on your own website?
Watch the short video below to see how to generate and add thebestof reviews widget.
Strong reviews can also provide excellent material for wider marketing.
A particularly useful customer comment might support:
The important thing is to represent the customer's feedback accurately and make the original review source clear where appropriate.
We also like to celebrate businesses that consistently receive positive feedback.
Review milestones and particularly strong customer experiences can give us opportunities to highlight members through thebestof Eastbourne and demonstrate the reputation they are building locally.
If you would like to understand how customer reviews can become a more useful part of your marketing, you can request a free digital copy of The Power of Reviews.
The guide explores why reviews matter, how to encourage more customers to leave feedback and how to make better use of the reputation you are building.
Email us to request your free copy.
If you would also like to find out how thebestof Eastbourne can help you collect, display and promote customer reviews, get in touch and we can talk through the options.
